The murder of Black and Brown people in the US in the month of July, from Jerry Williams in Asheville, NC on July 2nd, Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, LA on July 5th and Philando Castile in St. Paul, MN on July 6th, as well as those not named, has reignited the widespread understanding of the colonial order of white hegemonic power that maintains its hold through systemic racism. The response to public outrage at this amount of state violence has been both individual and collective acts of resistance and aggressive repression at both state and federal levels.These killings should be understood as a continuation of tactics in a perpetual war on the Black nation and other oppressed communities used during COINTELPRO, the “War on Drugs”, the “War on Crime” and, most recently, in the context of national security, “War on Terrorism” and “border safety.” Local police forces, in these cases, but also security guards and vigilantes, are used as an extension of the state to control oppressed communities without fear of recourse, reprimand, or consequences. The response to the documentation of these cases, whether through eyewitness accounts or video footage, further clarifies the position of New Afrikan people to the power arrangement in this country and the importance of the struggle we continue to wage.

As the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, an organization of New Afrikans/ Afrikans in America, our mission is to defend the human rights of our people and promote the self-determination of New Afrikans as a colonized nation in the empire that is the united states. As we continue to wage struggle, the first critical step is organizing to defend ourselves and our communities. We understand that the collective institution of white hegemony, patriarchy, and capitalism have been at the root of our people’s oppression. We understand that without community control and without the power to determine our own lives, we continue to fall victim to genocide.

We have to see the war on Black people for what it is and proactively organize ourselves to resist it. Protest mobilizations that occur after the police have executed one of our loved ones must be matched with creating self defense networks to provide long-term security for our communities. Therefore, we seek to heighten our consciousness about self-determination and national independence as a human right and solution to our colonization. While organizing around our principles of unity, we are building a network of Black/New Afrikan freedom fighters committed to the protracted struggle for liberation of the New Afrikan nation By Any Means Necessary!

Building on those principles, we highlight the tradition of Black August Resistance (BAR). Black August Resistance has been celebrated since 1979 since its founding in concentration camps (prisons) of California to a) honor & celebrate our fallen freedom fighters, b) to bring unity & education to those behind the walls, c) to bring education to our people to honor the history & action of New Afrikans continued resistance. As we kick off for 2016, we invite individuals and organizations to celebrate the BAR in these four ways that have been in place since its inception:

STUDY: Study the works of our ancestors and elders who have waged war in this struggle to deepen our understanding of this protracted struggle so as to better develop our strategies and tactics. Consider starting a BAR study group in your area.

FIGHT: Develop and implement actions that continue to resist state oppression, such as mass incarceration, policing of our communities, the under-funding of schools that undergirds the school-to-prison pipeline, etc. Also, share the stories of political prisoners support and write them, demand their release, and call for an end to solitary confinement and the death penalty as a form of torture violating human rights.

FAST: The BAR fast is traditionally a sunup (around 6 AM) to sundown (around 8 PM) fast of all foods and liquids. Consider doing the complete BAR fast or making dietary sacrifices that will not endanger your health. Youth often chose to refrain from a dietary items, such as sugars, fast food, sodas, or activities that they we replace with study & train.

Video footage in the police killings of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Eric Garner, Delrawn Small, Freddie Gray, Ramarley Graham and others, has played an undeniable role in exposing the horrors and realities of policing in this country. In many of these cases, footage has come from witnesses who have decidedly taken a stand to document, deter, and deescalate police violence, which is disproportionately focused in Black and Latino/a and other oppressed communities across the nation.
Given this we implore all to continue to monitor, document and expose abusive policing and to fight to build safe, healthy and empowered communities. Standing up for the liberation of ourselves and our communities through Cop Watching can be scary. In spite of being a constitutionally protected right, it involves an elevated risk of unjust arrest and/or abuse by the police. With this in mind, we offer these recommendations for practicing Cop Watch as safely and effectively as possible.

When you begin to film: try to get the full bodies of the cops and the people they are targeting in your frame. Record the date, time, location and identifying information about the officers by saying them into your camera. Describe any police misconduct you see. (E.g. “They are searching her pockets. She did not give her consent.”). However, don’t fully narrate what’s going on or add commentary as you may drown out what’s being said during the incident and/or inadvertently incriminate yourself or others.

Do your best to continue filming: If the police approach you, let them know you’re not trying to interfere, you are simply exercising your right to document them while they’re doing their jobs. Use your judgment! If a community member is emotionally disturbed and/or your presence seems to be escalating the situation, you may want to move farther away from the incident. However never leave the incident. Even if you feel you have to put the camera down, try not to turn it off.If the police tell you to get back: While taking a step back say, “I’m cooperating. I have stepped back. I’m not trying to stop you from doing your job. I’m just exercising my legal right to observe the police.” Do your best not to allow the police to make you leave the scene or push you back so far that you cannot see what’s happening. You have the right to observe as long as you are not obstructing the police. Exercise that right!Let someone know you’re Cop Watching: Send a message to someone at another location letting them know where you are and that you’re Cop Watching. Check in with that person when you are finished filming to let them know you are okay.

Guidelines for posting footage: In cases of clear misconduct and excessive force, it’s important to get the footage out there. However, try to get permission from the person targeted and try not to post anything that seems like it might incriminate a community member. If you are unsure how to proceed, reach out to an organization with expertise in this area or a lawyer first. They can also give you advice if you are afraid of backlash by the media or the police.

Keep your love for your community in mind: Your goals should be to de-escalate and deter abusive policing if possible and if not, to document it. Cop Watching is not about agitating the police or making a statement. It’s about protecting one another and exposing police violence.

Finally, keep in mind that footage alone will not ensure police accountability, as has been made clear by the cases of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Eric Garner, Delrawn Small, and many others. We need systemic transformation of policing policy, practice and culture, real accountability for abusive policing, an end to bad policy like Broken Windows policing, and investment in the empowerment of our communities, all of which will only be achieved through sustained organizing and movement-building.

The Celebration continues Saturday May 21st following the 16th Annual Malcolm X Jazz Fest. Come hang out with the Oakland Chapter of The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, local artists, and your community. Free before 9pm, $10 suggested donation at the door, drink specials ALL NITE, catering by The Healing Kitchen Catering.

]]>0Nadia Alexishttps://mxgm.org/?p=32712016-05-21T15:02:35Z2016-05-21T15:01:01ZRegistration is open for Camp Pumziko 2016!

Camp Pumziko – “We Come In Peace, Ready to Defend!”

The name of our camp is taken from a Kiswahili term, which means “at ease or at peace.” Our slogan embraces the concept of peace and preparedness. Our defense comes in instilling a sense of pride in our Afrikan heritage as well as discipline and responsibility to make the communities we live in safe and viable. Camp Pumziko is a project of CAD.

Dr. Mutulu Shakur, a member of the New African People’s Organization and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement is one of the longest held political prisoners of war in USA federal detention at this time. He has been locked down and kept from his people for over 30 years since his capture on February 11, 1986. He was charged and convicted of freeing our Sister Assata Shakur from prison and master minding a 1981 expropriation of a Brinks armored truck.

Dr. Shakur was set for release on February 10, 2016 but his release never occurred. Just before this date he was informed that he would only be scheduled to get a hearing for parole on April 4, 2016.

Dr. Shakur has violated no serious rules in the prison in his entire 30 years of captivity. He is an important member of the community and has full intentions of contributing to the welfare and success of his community with no intent of violating any laws of the USA. He will continue to advocate for the human rights and freedom of his community

Dr. Shakur has promoted unity and cooperation between prisoners in the Federal system. He has mentored and guided young brothers in the system as well as youth and students in the community who support him. He has argued and promoted for at least a decade for a “Truth, Reconciliation and Justice” process between the US government and the Black Liberation Movement to bring to the open the harm done from both sides in our people’s struggle for freedom. This would be in the tradition of other Truth and Reconciliation and Truth and Justice processes in countries like South Africa, and Argentina after long and bloody political conflicts between liberation movements and oppressive governments with the aim of peace and justice.

Yet despite this it is clear that the United States Federal Government fears freeing Dr. Mutulu Shakur, not for any harm or disruption he has committed over the past 30 years or for fear of any supposed crime he might commit in the future, but because of his consistent history of commitment to the Self Determination, and liberation of the New Afrikan Nation, so-called African Americans.

While he has become known and popularized among the youth as the step father of revolutionary hip hop artist Tupac Shakur, Dr. Shakur is much more that that. Since he was 14 years old he has committed his life to the liberation struggle of the New Afrikan people, so-called African Americans. In 1969 he defended Republic of New Afrika elders, children and leaders against a vicious military attack by Detroit police on the New Bethel Baptist Church, where Rev. C.L. Franklin, the father of Aretha Franklin was the pastor. Dr. Shakur is an accomplished Doctor of Chinese medicine and acupuncture and the founder of the Black Acupuncture Advisory Association of North America (BAAANA) as well as the Lincoln Detox Center which was responsible for curing hundreds of heroin addicts without drugs through acupuncture until the Center was forced to close after a long struggle by the city of New York. He is a co-founder of the National Task Force for Cointelpro Litigation and Research (NTFCLR) which made it possible for Black liberation organizations and individuals to identify, coordinate and expose exactly how, where, and who the FBI had used in its evil plan called the Counter Insurgency Program or COINTELPRO to destroy organizations like the Black Panther Party, the Us Organization, the Provisional Government of the Republic of New Afrika, and the American Indian Movement and assassinated, imprisoned or exiled so many of our leaders and freedom fighters. The NTFCLR was responsible for the legal strategy that ultimately led to the release of Black Panther political prisoner Geronimo ji Jaga (Pratt). Additionally Dr. Shakur travelled extensively to represent his people at international conferences and to gain international support for our freedom struggle from the international community.

Dr. Mutulu Shakur is being illegally detained in Federal prison beyond his release date because of his past and ongoing contributions to the human rights, self-determination and liberation of not only his nation New Afrika, but to the freedom and justice for all oppressed peoples.

The Federal parole board is assigned to determine whether Dr. Shakur can be a significant and productive contributor to the community. The opponents of his freedom has spread confusion about this by publishing and broadcasting misinformation about Dr. Shakur and about his release in order to create the condition for his continued imprisonment. It is important that the Parole Board hear from the community and that they know that Dr. Mutulu Shakur is welcome in our community. This is the message that must be spoken, written and sung about and that must be sent to the Federal Parol Board! Dr. Mutulu Shakur is welcome in our community.

We call on artists, writers, academics and community leaders to bear witness to the importance of having Dr. Mutulu Shakur returned to the community that loves him. If you know Mutulu, write or record what he has done to make your life or your community better. Let this Board know that his participation, mentorship and contributions are significantly missed and longed for in our community.

Malcolm X Grassroots Movement in Solidarity with the National Black Theatre of Harlem

The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement stands in full solidarity with the National Black Theatre of Harlem (NBT). We support their self-determination to use their historic space to bring Black people together rather than promote division and disunity among us. This is a critical tradition to uphold, especially in this historical moment when ALL Black lives are under attack through state violence and extrajudicial vigilantes. We must challenge the counterproductive view of narrow nationalism that excludes our LGBTQGNC community members from the Black family and the Black nation more broadly.

We know that in order to achieve full Black liberation, we must love, support, defend and promote the well-being and human rights of ALL Black people, including our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Gender Nonconforming community members. We recognize the historic contributions Black LGBTQGNC people have made and continue to make to the liberation of our nation. As family is the unit of struggle, we honor, respect and welcome all formations of Black families that continue to build our movement and communities. As an oppressed nation, we must not allow patriarchy and heterosexism which is rooted in white supremacy to prevail and weaken our movement. We must not lose energy and effort and make sacrifices combatting shadows. The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement is committed to dismantling patriarchy, heterosexism and all oppressions in dutiful service of our liberation.

]]>16MXGMhttps://mxgm.org/?p=32242016-08-02T14:04:08Z2015-04-29T02:43:19ZCamp Pumziko – “We Come In Peace, Ready to Defend!” The name of our camp is taken from a Kiswahili term, which means “at ease or at peace.” Our slogan embraces the concept of peace and preparedness. Our defense comes in instilling a sense of pride in our Afrikan heritage as well as discipline and responsibility to make the communities we live in safe and viable. Camp Pumziko is a project of CAD.

Click below for more information.

]]>0Kali Akunohttps://mxgm.org/?p=32032016-08-02T14:07:04Z2015-02-25T19:40:49ZCooperation Jackson, the New Afrikan People’s Organization, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, and the Jackson People’s Assembly invite you to join us for the First Annual Commemorative Weekend for Mayor Chokwe Lumumba on Friday, February 27th and Saturday, February 28th. The Commemorative Weekend is a celebration of the life and legacy of Mayor Lumumba and a promotion of the ongoing work of the two institutions, Cooperation Jackson and the People’s Assembly, that are advancing his vision of self-determination and social liberation.

The Commemorative Weekend is also a benefit Cooperation Jackson and the Chokwe Lumumba Center for Economic Democracy and Development. Cooperation Jackson is currently seeking to raise $200,000 to help advance strategic aspects of its work. A portion of the funds will support improvements for the Lumumba Center, such as a new roof, solar panel installation, entertainment and recording systems, and a state of the art kitchen for the Nubia’s Place Cafe. A portion will also support the transformative work of Cooperation Jackson to build a sustainable, live-work community in West Jackson that will create living wage jobs and permanently affordable housing.

Individuals and organizations wishing to contribute can do so by check or money order made out to Cooperation Jackson. Mail checks or money orders to Cooperation Jackson P.O. Box 1932 Jackson, MS 39215. Online donations can be made at http://www.cooperationjackson.org/donate2/. Donations will also be taken on site at the Lumumba Center and Word and Worship Church.